The Academy Rider
by nerdfighter1089
Summary: Alex Rider recieves his new mission. He is to infiltrate the Blackthorne Academy and befriend a suspicious student. Too bad that student is one of the few who are now staying at the Gallagher Academy.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Alex Rider had just received his latest mission. He was to infiltrate a school to investigate a potential suspect. But the school was a spy school. And the suspect was a sixteen year old schoolboy. And the suspect was also an assumed assassin.

Alex Rider was no ordinary teenager. He was MI6's youngest spy and as such had a lot of cases like this. This one happened to be in America. The CIA refused to train their own teenage spies as they felt it was immoral, strangely enough they didn't seem to have a problem with using Alex whenever they felt like it, which seemed to be pretty regularly these days.

Alex was booked to fly to the States the next day. First though, he had to check in with Mr. Smithers. This, however, was not much of a chore. Alex enjoyed his regular visits to the odd man and often looked forward to them in the lead up to a mission. Smithers was no ordinary MI6 agent, he was a genius, an inventor of sorts. His office was on the eleventh floor of the MI6 headquarters and that's where Alex was headed. Smithers created gadgets of sorts for the spies. He especially enjoyed making gadgets for Alex as it was a challenge, he had to disguise them as something Alex, as a schoolboy, might possess. Last time it was a Nintendo DS, different functions were used by inserting different games into the device. It had been amazing and Alex couldn't wait to see what he'd get this time.

Alex took the stairs two at a time to the eleventh floor, where Smithers was expecting him. "Hello there, my dear boy," said Smithers, the twinkly eyed, red faced, middle aged, overweight man sitting in the office chair behind the desk. "Hey there, got anything new for me this time?" Alex asked eagerly. "Oh you're going to love this," replied Smithers with a wink.

Twenty minutes later Alex emerged from the office geared up for his next mission. He had been given a range of gadgets from ultra-sticky hair gel to microscopic cameras that looked exactly like tiny flies. He also got the use of a tablet that had camera, explosive, communication and x-ray functions. He was ready for this mission.

Alex boarded the plane the next day and the flight went smoothly enough. It was long but he slept for some of it and also watched a James Bond film, laughing to himself at all the ridiculously unrealistic things that 'secret agent' did. He got off the plane and found a car and driver waiting for him, ready to bring him to the Blackthorne Academy.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Cammie Morgan hid out in one of the many secret passages in the Gallagher Academy. She was hiding from her best friend, Bex. Bex was trying to do Cammie's hair but Cammie was having none of it. She was hiding in the passage doing her homework when she glanced at her watch. Realising she was late, she leapt up and grabbed her books to hurry down the passageway and into the main school building. It was an impressive place, more resembling a castle than a school. The ivy covered, stone walls and high ceilings gave the school an old, secretive feeling. Perfect for a spy school.

Cammie ran up the stairs to her mother's office and burst through the door. "Sorry I'm late, I lost track of time," she apologised. "No problem, sweetie," answered her mother, knowing that she had most likely been in the secret tunnels. Cammie's mother was beautiful, she looked like Cammie but more regal and dignified. Cammie always felt like a mess compared to her very put together mother. Cammie had shoulder length light brown hair and thought of herself as very average looking. She wasn't too skinny or fat, she was neither tall nor small. She didn't have a particularly striking face but thought she could possibly be seen as pretty in the right light. At the Gallagher Academy Cammie was known as the Chameleon, she was invisible.

Rachel, Cammie's mother and headmistress of the Gallagher Academy, and Cammie had a tradition. Every Sunday night, while the rest of the Gallagher Girls ate dinner (cooked by a five star chef) downstairs, Rachel and Cammie had their own private dinner in Rachel's office. These dinners, however, had to be cooked by Rachel. This means sometimes they were rather horrible.

"What's for dinner, mom?" asked Cammie. "Chicken curry!" exclaimed her mom in excitement. "I've never made it before but I'm sure it will be fine," she said, a bit worried.

Cammie and her mother finished the last of the washing up forty minutes later. "Honey, I have something to tell you," Rachel said. Cammie was instantly nervous; this news could be anything from a new dessert on the menu to an active bomb found in the school grounds. "Some of the Blackthorne Boys are coming to stay and study here for the semester," said her mother. The Blackthorne Institute was the equivalent of the Gallagher Academy but for boys. More importantly, it was also the school where Cammie's on-again off-again boyfriend attended. "Zach?" Cammie guessed. "Yes, sweetie. Zach and fourteen other boys will be coming," replied Rachel. Cammie, resigned to the fact that Zach would be staying there but unsure of her feelings on the matter, sighed. "When?" she asked. "They arrive tomorrow."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Alex arrived at the Blackthorne Institute in the evening. It was an intimidating place with bare walls and long corridors, Alex didn't think he'd like to spend a long time there. Many people would compare it to a military base but Alex knew from experience that military buildings were a lot more welcoming than this place.

He was promptly shown to his room by a balding, middle aged man who introduced himself as Mr. Hughes, he claimed to be Alex's year head. Alex nodded at the right times, said "yes sir" and "no sir" and generally acted like the model, respectful student. He was, under no circumstances, to draw attention to himself. This point had been stressed by the CIA.

The CIA had organised it so that Alex was the suspect's roommate. What better way to know the enemy than to befriend them, right? The room was small with bunkbeds in the corner, two very large desks by the wall and a small wardrobe beside the beds. It seemed the focus was meant to be on studying. One of the beds was rumpled and when Alex looked in the wardrobe, he realised it was half full. His roommate had obviously settled in. Alex observed the whole room in one glance, including escape routes and hiding places. It was what he was trained to do.

Alex had just unpacked and settled in when a boy about his age came bursting through the door. He was about six foot, had dark brown, messy hair and brown eyes. He also had a smattering of freckles across his face and a light tan from head to toe. Alex recognised him instantly. "Hello, you must be my new roommate. I'm Charlie Daniels," said the boy. Alex, of course, knew this. He had read Charlie's file extensively on the plane. "Hello Charlie, my name is Alex. Alex Starbright," he said, adopting a perfect American accent. "Welcome to Blackthorne! You're new right? Want me to take you on the tour?" asked Charlie. Alex accepted and spent the next half an hour touring the Blackthorne Institute with Charlie. It wasn't too out of the ordinary for a spy school. It had classrooms, a huge gym, an area for target practice (shooting and knife throwing), a fencing area, a permanent outdoor assault course and state of the art computer labs.

"Now hopefully you won't get lost on your first day," said Charlie at the end of the tour. "I feel like a bad roommate for leaving you to fend for yourself on your first day but at least you know your way around now," he continued. "Fend for myself? Where will you be?" asked I Alex, confused. "I am spending a semester in the Gallagher Academy," announced Charlie excitedly. "Me and fourteen other guys are going to live and study there for a while. An exchange of sorts." Alex could only gape at him, he wasn't meant to be going anywhere, Alex was supposed to befriend him. How could he do that if Charlie wasn't even in the same school! "Fifteen boys and a couple hundred girls," Charlie exclaimed, waggling his eyebrows suggestively, completely oblivious to Alex's inner panic. "Oh, well good luck with that I guess," Alex said as Charlie left the room to meet up with a friend.

As soon as Charlie left Alex scanned the room for cameras and microphones. Satisfied there were none, he took out his tablet and selected the app that put him straight through to the CIA. After stating his predicament Alex was told that everything was under control. The CIA had realised the situation about an hour before Alex had. They had made arrangements. Alex was to pack his bags, he was going to be the sixteenth boy staying in the Gallagher Academy.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Cammie sat on her bed in the dorm room she shared with Bex. She had just told Bex about the Blackthorne Boys coming to stay for the semester. "How do you feel about Zach coming?" Bex asked, concerned. "I'm not sure," Cammie answered truthfully, "We didn't leave each other last time on a bad note or anything but nothing is official and we haven't talked. In reality we're just friends that have made out a few times," Cammie admitted. "Are you going to talk to him?" asked Bex. "I don't know, I guess I'll see. If he's being friendly and in a good mood then yes but if he ignores me, I'm going to ignore him right back. Either way, I am not going to hang around him desperately. I'm over him," Cammie said, more trying to convince herself than anything else. "Okay, fair enough but if you want either a friend to talk to or for someone to beat him up, I'm here," Bex said, determined not to let her friend get let down by the guy, she didn't fully approve of Zach. He was always popping up at weird times and messing with Cammie's heart, she was worried for her friend.

Cammie paid a visit to her mom to ask about the details of the boys' stay in the Gallagher Academy. She quickly learned that they would be staying on the second floor and that there would be four guys per room. She also learned about a mysterious sixteenth boy. Her mother had seemed pretty surprised over the last minute addition as the numbers had been agreed months in advance of the boys' arrival. His name was Alex Starbright and neither Cammie nor her mother had any idea as to why he was suddenly part of the program. They were arriving in the morning and would be attending all of the day's classes with Cammie's year as they were all the same age. Cammie decided to go to bed early. She would need all the energy she could get if sixteen boys were about to invade her home, one of which she may possibly end up either kissing or killing.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The bus rumbled up the long driveway belonging to the Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women. It had taken five minutes for the bus to get through the tight security at the front gate which was more irritating than it should of been due to the boys' fatigue after the ten hour drive they had just endured. Most people would never be able to get past that security but Alex found five ways of getting in just by glancing out the window. He wasn't most people. The school grounds were impressive and a lot nicer than the Blackthorne Institute property. The grass had been recently cut and the trees all looked manicured and healthy. The big lake in the middle of the grounds shined with clear water and Alex wondered if swimming was permitted in it.

The bus reached the top of the driveway and the boys finally saw the Gallagher Academy. It was a large mansion with ivy creeping up the stone walls. It was old and beautiful and Alex could tell that it was steeped in history. The boys got off the bus and collected their bags. They then proceeded up the steps to where a beautiful middle-aged woman was waiting for them. She was tall and slender with long brown hair and flawless skin. "Hello boys," she said. "Welcome to the Gallagher Academy, I am the headmistress. You may call me Mrs. Morgan. Please follow me to deposit your bags," she said politely and formally.

The boys followed her up the steps and into the impressive building which inside was covered in tapestries and portraits, stained glass windows and valuable artefacts. She led them up a sweeping staircase to the second floor where they were shown their rooms. The rooms were sparsely decorated and were more functional than beautiful, just as Alex liked it. Four boys were staying in each room and Alex, thanks to the CIA, was sharing with Charlie. Two other boys named Zach and Tom were also staying in his room. They were briefly introduced to each other before being ushered out by the headmistress and told to go to class. It seemed there was no wasting time or settling in period, it was straight to work.

The boys' first class was Covert Operations or CoveOps for short. The headmistress led them to a large steel door that served as the entrance to the sublevels. The boys had to get a body scan and blood sample to allow them to go down to sublevel two. Alex estimated that it was about one hundred feet below the ground and would be very difficult to break into. Difficult but not impossible. Sublevel two was a surprise after the huge stainless steel door and lift. It looked like something out of the 18th century with limestone walls and downward sloping wooden floors that creaked underfoot. They walked into a dimly lit, slightly damp classroom and abruptly stopped. Around fifteen girls were staring at them shamelessly. Alex could see their minds whirring, the judgements happening and the questions being silently asked. He observed the whole place in a few seconds, noting the layout of the room, the teacher standing at the front, what was currently written on the whiteboard and the facial expressions of every girl. All of the girls had a mixture of curiosity, apprehension and excitement on their faces. All except one girl. This one girl stood out. She was staring at Alex's roommate, Zach, a number of emotions chasing each other across her face. And then they stopped. Her face went completely blank and she turned around to face the board again. Alex was curious, who was this girl who had tried to hide her emotions? What was her history with Zach? And why was Alex so interested anyway?

Cammie had tried to hide her emotions when Zach walked into her CoveOps classroom. She had struggled for a moment but then managed to make her face expressionless and turn back to the board. She had been expecting Zach, of course, but nothing could have prepared her for actually seeing him again. He had completely ignored her, he hadn't even glanced her way. She had been shocked, hurt, relieved and saddend all at the same time. However, she had quickly resolved to keeping her earlier promise and didn't try and catch his attention. She would ignore him right back.

The boys filed into the classroom and stood at the back, waiting for instructions. "Welcome to CoveOps, gentlemen. My name is Mr. Solomon and that is what you will call me. Today we are focusing on observations. Being unobservant and generally ignorant in this business can lead to your demise. Therefore, I would suggest paying attention and keeping up. I know this stuff but if you're lazy and don't work in my class you will be killed," said the teacher, Mr. Solomon. Alex already knew he liked this teacher, he may be harsh but Alex realised it was just to try and keep his class safe. He wanted them to go on to be great spies. And to stay alive.

"You there," Mr. Solomon said, pointing to one of the boys and moving to block the board from view at the same time. "What's written on the board?" The boy, who Alex thought was called John, looked stumped. "I'm sorry sir, I don't know," answered John. "Dead," replied Mr. Solomon. "Anyone?" the teacher asked, looking down the line of boys. The boys all studied the floor, avoiding eye contact. Except for Alex. He looked Mr. Solomon right in the eyes. Mr. Solomon raised an eyebrow in question as he observed Alex's quiet confidence. "Do you know?" Mr. Solomon directed the question at Alex. "Yes sir, it said 'lesson 1: observation, see everything, pay attention. Assignment: write down everything of any importance in the room I'm about to show you, significant or otherwise. You will have thirty seconds." Alex answered perfectly. Mr. Solomon promptly nodded and moved on to continue teaching the class. Alex then realised that that level of excellence was expected, it wasn't to be commended as it was nothing special. He knew he was going to love this class.

Cammie was very curious. Only one boy could answer Mr. Solomon's question. It had been a hard one, not even Zach could answer. But one boy could, he had answered perfectly. He had recited what was written on the board word for word when he had had about forty seconds maximum to take it in before Mr. Solomon blocked it. He was good. The boy was tall, standing at about six foot, and lean. He obviously had nice muscles but they were smooth and not too bulky. He had fair hair that covered the tops of his eyes. He had brown eyes and a few freckles across his very well defined cheek bones . He was very attractive and it was clear that Cammie wasn't the only one who had noticed. They may have been spies but they were also girls. There were plenty of giggles, whispers and eyelashes batted in the direction of the boy. Cammie glanced over at Zach and was surprised at the frustration on his face. He was looking from Cammie to the boy who had answered the question in confusion. It seemed Zach had caught Cammie checking out the new guy. Somehow she couldn't bring herself to care.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Alex had survived his first day of classes at the Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women. It had actually been quite enjoyable. His training as a spy had consisted of going on adventure holidays while learning languages with his uncle and going to an army base. This spy school stuff was quite interesting. After CoveOps he had had Languages, Computing, Countries of the World and Driver's Education. Driver's Ed had been quite funny. The girls had been so good in all the other classes but were absolutely terrible in Driver's Ed. It was the only mundane class they had and they all failed terribly at it, the boys did too. No one could drive well and certainly not safely. To Alex, who could drive, it was hilarious to watch. One boy actually crashed into a tree.

The students had a bit of free time to themselves before dinner. Alex took the chance to get to know his roommates. He had to get close to Charlie to try and find out if he was the assassin and if so who his target was, he wanted to figure out Zach (who had seemed to know one of the girls well) and he wanted to hang out with Tom because he just seemed like a genuinely nice guy. The guys stayed in their room and talked a bit, the others all knew each other so Alex was the one being questioned. He didn't like that considering he wanted to learn about them. He told them his cover story given to him by the CIA. That he had been pulled out of public school after the CIA saw him hack into the school computer system. They had then figured out he could fight as well and decided that he would make a good spy. They had promptly put him in the Blackthorne Institute. Alex didn't find out much about the other guys. He did however hear that they had to go through trials to decide who came to the Gallagher Academy and that Zach and that girl (turns out her name was Cammie) had gone out but hadn't talked in a while. What had Alex really confused was the fact that Charlie had come to the Gallagher Academy. The CIA had received an anonymous tip that he was the assassin and they had just assumed his target was at the Blackthorne Institute. Now it didn't look like that was the case. If Charlie was the assassin, which Alex had yet to confirm, why had he come to the Gallagher Academy? Who was his target? Alex vowed to find out.

Dinner was at seven that night. The boys weren't really sure what to expect. When they walked into the dining hall, all chatter stopped immediately. The girls were already seated at long tables with food in front of them. The teachers were sitting at a table at the front of the room. The whole place was silent. Then Alex heard a chair scrape back, the headmistress got up from her seat at the centre of the teachers' table. "Welcome boys. The only thing you need to know about dinner at the Gallagher Academy is that we use it to practice our foreign languages. Today's language is Spanish. Grab some food and sit down," she said. Alex felt a mixture of panic and relief at that statement. Relief that Spanish was tonight's language and panic that dinner each night was in a foreign language. Earlier Alex had learnt that the girls were excellent at languages. He only spoke three languages fluently, that paled in comparison to their fourteen. Alex looked around and found similar expressions of panic on the other boys' faces. "How many languages do you speak?" Alex asked Charlie, who was standing beside him. "Only four," Charlie replied, "French, German, Spanish and Russian." Alex felt slightly better after hearing this, the only language out of those four that he didn't speak was Russian.

Alex, Tom, Charlie and Zach went to get some food and then sat down at a table with four Gallagher Girls, one of whom Alex recognised as Cammie. "Hi, I'm Alex. What's your names?" he asked the girls in fluent Spanish. They introduced themselves as Macey, Liz, Cammie and Bex. Alex then introduced the rest of the boys. The girls said friendly hellos to Tom and Charlie but only spared a curt nod for Zach. Well that's awkward, Alex thought as he realised that the girls weren't going to speak to Zach. "Are classes here very different to Blackthorne?" asked Bex, the braver of the girls. She had directed the question at Alex so he felt he had to answer. "Well I'm new at Blackthorne, I haven't even been there one full day yet," he grinned. The girls laughed and asked him about himself, he had to tell his cover story and felt a twinge of sadness at this because he liked all the people at the table and wanted them to know the real him. Maybe someday. They all chatted happily for a while and Alex noticed Cammie and Charlie had really hit it off across the table, he wondered what they could possibly be talking about for so long.

At first when the boys had sat down things had been a little awkward, especially with Zach there. Now they were all chattering and gossiping and Cammie found herself in a conversation with Charlie. They had started talking about their families and how it was a bit rough being away from home. "I guess I'm lucky," Cammie had said, "my mum's the headmistress here so I am home." "Really? That's great. Where do you go during the summer?" Charlie had asked. Cammie told him about spending the summer with her grandparents and then asked him where he went. They got into a good conversation and were soon laughing about how much better the food was at Gallagher than at Blackthorne. Cammie glanced around her after a few minutes and was surprised at what she saw. Zach was glaring daggers at her and Charlie while Alex was looking at them curiously. Bex was deep in conversation with Tom and when she caught Cammie's eye she looked up and winked. Liz was ranting on about an essay that was due in three months (typical Liz) while Macey nodded dutifully before telling her to shut up. Dinner was almost over and Cammie felt sad about her conversation with Charlie coming to an end, she had been enjoying herself. She had just got up to go back to the dorms with the girls when she heard Zach's voice behind her. "Wait, Cammie can I please talk to you?" he asked. She sighed and then nodded yes, following him out the door and into an empty corridor.

"What do you want?" Cammie asked when it was clear that Zach wasn't going to say anything. "To say sorry for leaving last time and never getting in touch. Something came up and I didn't have time to say goodbye. Please Cammie, stop ignoring me," he begged. She hadn't really realised she had been ignoring him but thinking back on it he had seemed to be trying to catch her eye during class and had tried talking to her once as well. She had ignored him. "Zach I don't know what to say. It wasn't just last time, it was every other time too. You keep breaking my heart and I don't think I can do it again," she answered honestly. He seemed stumped for a second, it was clear he hadn't realised how much he had hurt her. "Cammie, I...," he began but was interrupted by Dr. Fibbs who had just come down the corridor. "Off to the dorms now, no shenanigans in the corridors," he told them sternly, then walked off muttering something about how much harder law enforcement was now that there were boys there. "You heard him," Cammie said, deciding she had had enough of Zach and his excuses. "But-" he began, panic in his eyes. "No Zach," she cut across him, "I told you, I can't do this anymore." Cammie walked away from him and towards her dorm, her heart breaking a little bit with every step but she also felt light and relieved, she wasn't going to let herself be hurt by him anymore.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

It had been a week since his arrival at the Gallagher Academy and Alex still hadn't figured out anything about Charlie. He hadn't been acting suspiciously, no middle of the night phone calls or wanderings, and he had been really friendly to everyone. Alex still had to assume he was the assassin until he proved otherwise though. Charlie had befriended Cammie so Alex decided to do the same. There might be something there, was there a reason he picked Cammie? Was her mum the target? Was Charlie even the assassin? Alex had so many questions he needed to answer. He decided to start by making friends with Cammie, she seemed nice anyway so it wouldn't be such a hardship.

He had checked in with the CIA and they had confirmed that Cammie might be a lead. His short term goal would be to befriend Cammie while he kept an eye on Charlie in the meantime. That day at breakfast Alex sat beside Cammie and said hi. They were both quiet people so conversation was limited until they got used to each other. "Do you miss your parents?" Cammie asked, knowing it was hard for the rest of the girls to be away for so long. "They died when I was younger," Alex replied, deciding he could tell Cammie this little bit of truth. He was used to seeing pity in people's eyes when he told them about his parents and he hated it. He didn't need their pity. Cammie's reaction was different though. There was understanding in her eyes and she nodded as if she knew what he was talking about. Then she explained it, "My dad passed away too, it's just my mom and I now. It may have been a while ago but I know the pain never goes away." Alex looked at her in amazement. Many young people lose grandparents or distant relatives but losing a parent was different and Cammie understood. Stunned for a moment, he barely registered it when Cammie changed the subject. "So how have you found it here at Gallagher?" she asked, grinning. "I don't know," Alex answered mischievously, getting comfortable around her now, "the girls are a bit annoying."

Alex and Cammie got very close very quickly and Alex found himself enjoying her company. He really liked her. She was quiet, like him, but when she opened up she was funny and kind. They were walking from Languages to History of Espionage, laughing about the teacher's expression when Alex had told her that he only spoke three languages. She had been horrified to learn that a spy could be so uneducated, three languages! Alex and Cammie had found it hilarious and were still laughing about it when Zach came up to them. "I see you're having fun," he said dryly, looking them up and down scornfully. "Zach, don't," Cammie warned. "Don't what, Gallagher Girl?" asked Zach. "Don't make a scene? Don't get annoyed? Don't voice my feelings? Well tough Cammie because you can't ignore me anymore," he said heatedly. Alex felt very awkward, should he save Cammie? Intervene on her behalf? Or should he just walk away? "Zach, we're going to be late for class," he ended up saying but regretted it straight away afterwards. Zach then turned his anger towards Alex. "Who are you anyway? You're the new boy, you don't get to swoop in and steal my girlfriend," he said, fuming. "Zach! Two things, one: the way your acting is not helping your point, Alex may be the new boy but he's obviously the better man. And two: I'm not your girlfriend!" Cammie exclaimed, grabbing Alex's arm and stalking away with him in tow. He had to give it to her, she was pretty badass when she wanted to be.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

**I'M SORRY DON'T KILL ME! Ok so I'm back. I realise it has been like a year since I have written and I presume you guys have long ago forgotten me and my story. I actually started an Olympic campaign for Rio 2016 (yeah I'm a bit of a jock/nerd hybrid) and between that and school I have had zero time. So lately I've been managing time a bit better and I wanted to get back to writing but then yesterday I got a laptop for Christmas (I was doing this on an iphone before) and that boosted my motivation by like 1000000% so here's a new chapter for an old story! Please review, with it being a year since I have written anything I'm nervous about this and whether it's any good :/**

Alex felt frustrated. He was no closer to finding out anything about Charlie and it had been weeks. The CIA had been given an anonymous tip, were they misinformed? Or was Charlie the assassin and just a damn good one, he certainly hadn't given himself away yet. Alex decided to track Charlie and bug their room, he hadn't thought it would be necessary but due to his complete lack of information, he decided to go ahead with it. It was easy enough for him to bug the room with cameras and microphones while the other guys were out and even easier to stick a GPS tracker and microphone on Charlie's phone. Now he just had to wait for results.

Cammie had been enjoying the year so far, it had been blissfully uneventful. There had been no threats from the Circle of Cavan and no suspicious activity around the school or local area. Life was good and Alex was another plus. They had been doing everything together and now were really close but just friends. Sure Cammie was attracted to him (who wouldn't be?) but she didn't want to hurt their friendship by doing something stupid. Also what if he didn't like her? There was just too much risk, better to play it safe...for now.

"So, Cammie, how are things going with Alex?" Bex asked, not so subtly, at dinner that day. "And so commences the Inquisition," mumbled Cammie sarcastically. She loved her friends but they were far too nosy. "Come on, we've been patient, but now it's time to spill. This school has been surprisingly drama-free the past few weeks. I need something to keep me entertained," cried Liz. "Duh, she likes him, he likes her but they're both too shy to make a move," Macey said. "No! Well ok yes I like him. But there is no way he likes me," Cammie replied, a bit dejectedly. The girls then rolled their eyes and gave each other pointed looks. "Here we go," Macey smirked. "I mean there's nothing to like about me, he couldn't like me," Cammie said. "Oh shut up, your beautiful, kind, funny and smart and everyone knows it so stop complaining to us lesser beings," Bex said. Cammie had just opened her mouth to reply when Alex pulled out a chair beside her and slid in. "What are we talking about?" he asked happily. "You," Macey replied bluntly. Cammie blushed beet red and attempted to hide behind her hair. "Yeah, you did really well in P&E today," Liz said, saving everyone from the imminent awkwardness. "Thanks Liz," Alex replied, oblivious to her lie. "I've been doing taekwondo classes since I was five so hopefully I've learnt a few things by now," he joked. "That explains it, you kicked Zach's ass!" exclaimed Cammie gleefully. She had to admit that she'd enjoyed watching that. Zach's behaviour hadn't gotten any better. The past few weeks he had been hot and cold. He would ignore her for a few days and then be all dramatic saying how he missed her and needed her and blah blah blah. Cammie was happy in her decision to leave Zach in her past, he wasn't good for her. Thinking about it, Cammie realised that being around him probably shortened her life span by a good few years. All that drama and heart break couldn't be good for one's health! Alex on the other hand had been amazing. They had really gotten to know each other and she liked him. A lot. He was quiet but sarcastic and sassy when he opened up. It was both irritating and amusing.

Alex approached the girls' table, fully aware that they were talking about him. Sometimes they forgot that when they spoke in foreign languages others could still hear and understand them. He heard Macey say that it was obvious that Alex and Cammie liked each other but were both too shy to make a move. Alex wouldn't have believed Macey that Cammie liked him except that Cammie was blushing and stuttering after that statement. Too shy to make a move, huh? We'll see about that, he thought, happy to know that Cammie liked him the way he liked her. "What are we talking about?" he asked in greeting, feigning ignorance.

The next day, Alex and Cammie were debating Legolas' role in The Hobbit films. "Actually I think he is a very attractive man and I for one greatly appreciate his presence in the films," Alex said, waggling his eyebrows suggestively. Cammie laughed and smacked his arm, earning a disgruntled 'ouch' from his direction. "Obviously Orlando Bloom is beautiful and I assure you that I appreciate that just as much as the next girl but he was only eye candy! Legolas isn't in the book, in fact, I'm pretty sure his name may have been mentioned once but that's it!" She exclaimed passionately. She had a feeling that Alex didn't really have very strong feelings on the matter but was simply arguing with her for his own amusement. So what if she was a little bit of a fangirl? She just couldn't understand how the producers could justify putting another character in for no reason. He served no purpose except to kick ass, look beautiful and add romance! "But that jaw, it's just so chiselled and manly," Alex sighed longingly. "Argh!" Cammie was considering slapping him again when she walked straight into something. Quite a firm something. Looking up in surprise, she saw that in her frustration she had forgotten to look where she was going and walked right into Zach. Great, she thought sarcastically. Zach wasn't looking at her but was instead glaring at a still laughing Alex. Alex's smile quickly slipped and his face turned serious as he observed Zach's anger. "Hey Zach," he said cautiously. "Alex," Zach replied shortly. He looked very mad, he turned his wrath to Cammie but his face softened when he saw her. "Cam, please can we talk?" he asked. Cammie sighed, not wanting to deal with his shit today, "Fine. Talk," she said grudgingly. Zach looked at her, irritated, "in private," he said looking pointedly at Alex.

Alex was sick of this, he realised that Zach was Cammie's old boyfriend and that they may have been in love but this was ridiculous! It had been weeks since the boys had come to the Gallagher Academy and Cammie had made clear dozens of times that she was done with him. He had hurt her too much and she had decided that enough was enough, for once in her life she was looking out for herself. Alex was glad, she was the most amazing girl he had ever met and he hated that Zach had hurt her so much. He found it hard to be civil to Zach just because of that, because of her. Alex didn't want to see Cammie go off to talk with Zach but he had to respect her decisions. He looked over at her, she looked torn, she had admitted to him that she hated the drama Zach was causing but found it hard to deny him when he wanted to talk to her.

Cammie made up her mind, she'd talk to Zach but just to tell him that she wasn't doing this anymore. "Ok where do you want to go?" she asked him. Zach looked relieved, he was so worried she'd turn him down again, "outside". Cammie shot an apologetic look at Alex and touched his arm to let him know that she would be back soon, that she didn't want to go, she didn't want to leave him. She followed Zach out the massive oak doors of the Gallagher Academy. It was their lunch break but Alex and Cammie had decided to go for a walk, she supposed she was now walking with Zach. Zach held the door open for her and then followed her out into the cool air. She turned to face him and found him close to her, too close. She was looking right into his eyes, maybe for the first time in weeks. She found herself admiring the tiny gold flecks in his emerald eyes. He had beautiful, expressive eyes and right now they were full of hope and desire. Seeing that look in his eyes, his full lips, his beautiful face, she was tempted. They had so much history, he had been the first and only boy she had ever really loved. They had been happy and now looking into his eyes, she missed those times when he laughed and smirked and called her Gallagher Girl. He never called her that anymore. She supposed it was her fault, she had kind of cut him off. She just couldn't go through all the heartbreak again. Cammie stilled loved him, can you ever really stop loving someone? She didn't know but the important thing was not that she loved him but how she loved him; as a friend. She was attracted to him, she loved his smile, his laugh, his beautifully intelligent mind, his kindness and his eyes. But anytime she thought of him she felt the pain she had gone through all over again. She thought they could be friends again but they could never be the people they were before. Looking into his eyes, she could see that he could almost tell what she was thinking. His eyes, full of hope and longing a minute ago, dropped sadly. "Cammie, if I ask you a question will you answer honestly?" he asked, pleading with his eyes for her to just let him know how she felt. "Of course Zach," Cammie answered, she owed him that much. He took a deep breath, it looked like he was trying to summon courage. "Ok I suppose the really important one is this. Cammie I love you, I have never loved anyone before and I don't even know if I'll ever love anyone again so because of that I need to know if you could ever forgive me and be with me again?" He looked into her eyes and saw her answer before she ever replied. She was confused, scared, disorientated. Was she making the wrong decision? She had a beautiful, clever, amazing boy who she had loved so fiercely declaring his love for her and begging her forgiveness. She had made the decision that it was over between them weeks ago but having him standing there pleading with those green eyes…no she couldn't do it. She blurted out her answer, not thinking her words over first, afraid that she'd change her mind "I'm sorry Zach. I love you so much, I do but I can't ever forgive you enough to be more than friends. I'm starting to heal, to get over you, to move on-". Zach interrupted her suddenly furious, "Move on?" he shouted, laughing bitterly. "Move on? Yeah I suppose you have, you've been getting very cosy with Starbright, haven't you Cammie? You never even gave me a second chance once you saw him. You saw him and you forgot me. Don't even try to deny it, you might think you're protecting yourself by saying no to me but you're just using it as an excuse to 'upgrade'," he spat angrily. His eyes, his beautiful eyes, were cold and ruthless. He was looking at her as if he hated her. She hated seeing that loathing in his expression, she hated that he had some truth in his harsh words, she hated that he wanted to hurt her again. She hated how much his words did hurt. Just as she opened her mouth to reply, to say what she didn't know, the big door opened and Alex came out. He stood on the steps glaring at Zach. Zach looked at over at him and the loathing in his face intensified, "Oh look, it's your knight in shining armour come to rescue you from someone who loves you Cammie, that's ironic isn't it? Ever thought of this? Maybe she doesn't need saving from me!" Zach exclaimed before stalking through the door, knocking Alex out of the way in the process. Cammie watched him leave, sad and ashamed. Maybe he was right, she saw Alex that first day and she never gave Zach another chance. She didn't listen to his apologies, never even contemplated forgiving him.

Alex stood in the doorway, watching Zach screaming at Cammie. She looked so sad, she had tears in her eyes and was looking heartbroken. Seeing her like that Alex got very angry very quickly. He hadn't realised how much he cared for her before that moment. He hated to see her upset, hated the guy who did that to her, wanted to kill him, wanted to kiss her. He settled for standing there glaring at Zach. He had to clench his fists to keep from tackling him. Zach finished his speech and marched into the school, bumping Alex on the way. Oh that was it, that's the last straw, Alex was not going to let this one go. He may have had a mission but he also had a heart and it was telling him that he loved Cammie and he wasn't going to stand by and watch that asshole treat her or him like that. Zach was gone before Alex could act on his realisation but Cammie was still standing there, looking like she was about to collapse any second. Alex ran to her and scooped her into his arms. He held her close, not saying anything, just letting her cry, letting her know that he was there for her. Letting her know that he would always be there for her.


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey Guys! Hope you all had an amazing Christmas and HAPPY NEW YEAR! Anyway please please please please review, I haven't done much writing, this is my first ever time writing anything in any way romantic so PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK. Do you like Alex? Cammie? Zach? Hate it all? Let me know!**

** Insanely Me, thanks so much for the review!I'm so excited to continue with this story too :D**

Chapter 9

Alex's bugs had picked up nothing of use on Charlie. Alex now knew that Charlie sang Britney Spears in the shower, did 100 push ups before bed and then got up and had a midnight snack from the 'secret' stash beneath his bed. All this was no use to Alex and just made him irritated that he was sharing a room with a Britney-singing, midnight-munching, potential assassin. Alex was getting frustrated, bored and was now beginning to doubt his skills as an agent. The only good thing was that he was spending so much time with Cammie but even she couldn't distract him from his failure of a mission. He was beginning to give up hope and doubt that Charlie was anything but a normal spy. One day in November after Charlie winning a game of snooker Alex decided enough was enough, he was going to contact the CIA. He left the common room and went up to his shared room to get his tablet and find somewhere private to call them. As he entered the room and went to the closet to get the device he heard a beeping. He took the tablet out to see an alert; Charlie was making a phone call to an un-registered number. Alex picked up his tablet and earphones, went into the bathroom and clicked the button to access the call and listen in.

"Yes, I've been laying low but I'm going to act next week," Charlie's voice was clear through Alex's earphones. "Don't rush anything, you know the plan but you cannot under any circumstances arouse suspicion. After next week you'll still have to stay a few weeks at the Gallagher Academy before we can get you out," replied the other voice on the line. It was a man's voice, deep but clear. Alex was excited, he finally had both confirmation and information about Charlie's role. He still didn't know what action Charlie was going to take but at least he knew to be on the lookout and had an idea of the timeline of events. "Yes I know, I'll check in again before next week," Charlie said before disconnecting. The line went dead and Alex removed his earphones, wondering what his next step should be. He was confused. Why would Charlie wait this long? Why did he have to stay at Gallagher after? And who was his target? Alex decided to wait another day before contacting the CIA with this information. He wanted to process it all and come up with a few theories of his own before they forced all of theirs on him.

Cammie was hanging out in her room with Bex, Liz and Macey doing some homework when her phone rang. The girls all stared at her, knowing that with her mom being the headmistress of the school and Cammie not having many friends or family outside of school that she didn't get many phone calls. Cammie looked at the caller ID and raised her eyebrows at her friends, "it's Alex," she told them, wondering why he was calling from the same building. The girls all started whispering, giggling and winking at her. Cammie rolled her eyes at their evident immaturity and answered the phone. "Hey Alex," she said lightly as if she wasn't in any way excited that he was ringing her out of the blue. "Cam! I missed you," said Alex, she could hear a smile in his voice. It was the first time he'd ever called her 'Cam' and she found she liked it…she liked _him. _She laughed and replied "Alex, I saw you an hour ago!" Cammie looked over to see her friends wiggling around suggestively and she had to cover her mouth with her hand to muffle her laughter. "Yeah and I've missed you for the past hour," Alex sighed dramatically, slurring his words a bit. Cammie suddenly realised that he was drunk, at 9pm in the Gallagher Academy? "Alex are you drunk?" she asked unbelievingly. "Maybe a teensy weensy tiny wee bit," he replied laughing. Cammie seriously didn't know what to think of this. Why was he drunk? Who was with him? Where did he even get alcohol? "Alex where are you?" she asked, a bit concerned for his welfare. "Outside your window, princess," Alex sang cheerfully. Cammie raised her eyebrows in shock, she covered the phone and looked at her friends. "He's drunk and apparently outside the window," she told them. They all looked at each other for a second and then burst out laughing. "Well open the window you idiot!" Macey exclaimed excitedly. Cammie decided that that wasn't a bad idea and went over to the window. She opened it and looked down, her phone still in hand, sure enough Alex was standing on the ground looking up at her with a massive goofy grin on his handsome face. "Hi princess!" he called up at her. "Alex what are you doing?" she replied, still a bit bewildered that there was a drunk (super hot) guy standing under her window and calling her princess (when did he start that?). She looked down at him, giggling to herself when he lost his footing and stumbled for a second, he was usually so coordinated. "I've come to seduce you into a midnight walk with me," he replied easily, looking at her imploringly. "Alex, sweetie, it's 9am not midnight," she said, a bit condescendingly to tease him. He laughed at her use of the word 'sweetie'. "All the more reason to come with me, it's not even late yet! Get on your sneakers princess, I'll meet you at the door in a minute," he said, winking at her. She laughed at him, then closed the window and stepped back, her decision made. She turned around and bumped right into Liz. The girls were all standing right in front of her, having listened to every word of her and Alex's conversation. She laughed at their expressions and moved past them to put her shoes on, just as Alex had suggested. "So you're going to meet him then?" Bex asked, squealing slightly which was very unlike her. "Of course, did you not see those dimples?" Cammie asked her laughing, knowing that said dimples were impossible to say no to. The three girls sighed longingly and looked at Cammie as if she was the luckiest girl in the world. "Well, go then!" Macey pushed Cammie out of the door before she could even check her hair in the mirror. She supposed whatever state she was in would have to do.

Alex waited for Cammie at the big front door to the Gallagher Academy. He wasn't sure if they were allowed out at night but he didn't really care either way. He had played drinking games with Charlie and Tom and ended up drinking way more than he'd intended. He was now pretty out of it but the alcohol was giving him the courage to make his move with Cammie, something he'd wanted to do for a while now. He'd managed to find her window and shout up to her, he thought she was on her way down to him but he wasn't sure, she hadn't actually said she'd come for a walk. He sat down while he waited, humming the chorus of a song he didn't know very well.

Cammie went out the door of the school, looking at her phone. It was 9.10pm, they had fifty minutes before curfew, they had to be in the school by then. The doors were locked and alarms set at 10pm so if they weren't in by then they'd be in serious trouble. She almost didn't see Alex sitting beside the door until she tripped over his leg, just managing to catch her footing before she fell flat on her face in front of the most beautiful male specimen she'd ever seen. Alex laughed at her and hopped to his feet, surprisingly agile for someone so intoxicated. "You came!" he exclaimed excitedly, putting out his arms for a hug. She hadn't had a chance to reply before he scooped her up in his arms and buried his face in her neck. "Hmmm you smell nice Cam," he mumbled. She giggled and immediately felt annoyed at herself after, since when did she giggle? She wasn't one of those girls. "I missed you princess," Alex murmured into her neck, his hands rubbing her back slowly. She was more effected by his proximity then she let on, his strong arms around her and head at her shoulder, she was finding it hard to focus. The smell of alcohol snapped her out of it pretty quickly though. She pulled away from him while he moaned in protest at her leaving his arms. "Alex, why are you drunk?" she asked him, looking into his deep brown eyes. He sighed at her, still disappointed that she wasn't in his arms. "Charlie made me. I only wanted a beer but then he bet that I couldn't have three vodka shots and still walk in a straight line," he replied, looking a little bit regretful. "My manhood was being questioned Cam," he pleaded at Cammie's disapproving look. She had to admit that she did find it a little bit amusing. "Well could you walk in a straight line?" she asked grinning at him. He took her grin as a positive sign and took her hand. He held her hand up to his chest, just where his heart was, in a dramatic expression, "How could you ever doubt me, princess? Of course I walked in a straight line. My superior balance could never be undermined by alcohol," he said, pretending to be shocked that she could ever think that he would fail. She laughed at how dramatic he was being and took her hand from his chest, keeping hold of his hand and pulling him along behind her as she started walking towards the lake. "Ok Superman, let's walk."

Cammie and Alex walked along slowly, guided by the moon that was lighting up the school grounds. They went as far as the lake and stopped at the edge. Alex plonked himself down on the grass and gestured for her to sit down too. She sat beside him but he obviously didn't like that. "Why the distance, princess?" he asked, pulling her towards him. The fresh air was starting to sober him up a bit and he liked how responsive Cammie was being. She seemed to like him, maybe even as much as he liked her. He pulled her closer to him and when she protested he lifted her onto his lap. Cammie looked down at him, laughing at his persistence. "How are you feeling? Still drunk?" she asked him. "Me? Drunk? Never!" he replied, pulling her face down towards him. "Cammie, I have a confession to make," he said, their faces only inches apart. "Hmmm?" she asked, distracted by his warm body and scent. He smelled woodsy, she liked it. "I sobered up pretty quickly once we started walking. I'm fine now… and I promise I'll remember this in the morning," he said. She believed him, the smell of alcohol was gone, replaced by the fresh air around them and he had seemed way more aware the last few minutes. It made her feel better, she had been slightly worried that it was the alcohol talking and that if he remembered anything the next day he'd regret it. "Oh yeah? Superman recovers quickly huh?" she teased him, thinking maybe she'd keep calling him that. He was way hotter than Clarke Kent would ever be but she thought it suited him. He laughed softly and put his hand up to her face. He brought her face closer to his and kissed up her neck, making his way up to her cheek and then whispering in her ear, "Can I kiss you, Lois?" She sighed and mumbled her consent, loving the way his warmth felt in the cool breeze. He lowered his face to hers and went straight for her lips. The kiss was slow and deliberate, he was showing her that he cared about her. That this wasn't because of alcohol, that he had wanted to do this for a long time. She responded, moving her mouth with his, nibbling on his bottom lip, he groaned and the mood changed. The kiss became more demanding, more passionate. He pulled her closer to him and lay back in the grass, bringing her with him and never breaking the connection. He rolled over so she was lying with her back flat on the grass, she pulled him until he was over her. He kept his weight off of her with his arms on either side of her body but she could still feel the whole of his body over hers, his firm body pressed into hers making her want to be even closer. He pulled away, groaning, and looked down at her with a smile. "Sorry princess, I think it's time to get back to school," he said grudgingly. He gave her one more soft kiss and then pulled her up with him and put his arm around her shoulders, keeping her warm. Cammie looked sideways at him and smirked, "You're not half bad at kissing, Superman." He looked at her in shock and she laughed at his outraged expression. "Don't worry sweetie, I'll teach you in time."


End file.
